Aggressive Treatments Are Best For High Blood Pressure

People suffering from high blood pressure could be benefitted by reducing the blood pressure level to a level below the requirement of the present guidelines, as per a new study.

In the research study, information from 4 clinical trials conducted previously along with their treatments that were able to lower the systolic blood pressure to somewhere between 120 to 124 mm Hg were reviewed. The results showed great benefits, as compared to those that couldn’t reduce the blood pressure to this level.

Patients having a blood pressure in the mentioned limits had a 40 percent lesser chance of dying when the study was going on, as compared to those individuals who have a blood pressure ranging from 140 to 144 mm Hg.

The findings were published on 31st May in a journal called JAMA Cardiology. The new findings are known to suggest that opting for more aggressive treatment methods for curing high blood pressure is a better choice. They also suggested that the current guidelines must be reviewed and revised for lowering the target of blood pressure.

Some other experts are still waiting for the new guidelines to come up before making changes in their way of treating patients.

Going for aggressive treatments could also result in side effects, like kidney injuries and electrolyte imbalances. Therefore, it is important to know the risks before going forward with it. Those individuals with a low risk of acquiring cardiovascular diseases would not require aggressive treatments when having high blood pressure, as suggested by the editorial’s authors who were not part of the research study.

Lower is Better

To answer the question of how low the blood pressure should ideally be, the Eighth Joint National Committee on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure suggested a range of 140 to 150 mm Hg for people who are 60 years and above.

The guidelines laid down recently by American College of Physicians also suggested that having a 150 mm Hg target for people who are older, and a 140 mm Hg and lower for those who have a past history of heart diseases, like high cholesterol and diabetes, is ideal.

The SPRINT trial conducted in 2015 showed that people having a blood pressure near 120 mm Hg had a 27 percent lesser chance of dying when the study was on process, as compared to those individuals whose targets weren’t lower than 140 mm Hg.

Setting a Target

Bonow and Yancy suggested that those individuals who have a greater risk of having cardiovascular disease should lower their blood pressure to 130 mm Hg and below. Those who do not have a risk must have a target of 150 mm Hg and lower.

The researchers also mentioned that more rigorous studies need to be conducted in order to find out the effectiveness of aggressive blood pressure treatments among diabetic patients.